A/N: This fic was a request from retro-mania.

The rays of the sun rose up above the rooftops of Hill Valley, as the oranges and yellows of sunrise gave way to a soft blue. Below, people were rising from their beds, the signs outside store windows changed from "Closed" to "Open," and the entire town seemed to be waking from slumber.

At the very edge of town, two teens stood and looked out over it. They stared out across the streets and buildings that were at once familiar and unfamiliar. For a moment, they could only stare in awe. That was, until the girl, Jennifer, grabbed Marty's hand and practically pulled him through the streets of their hometown.

There were kids playing on the sidewalks, and men in suits rushing to work. She could spot a few teens her age wandering around in packs, similar to the way her friends did. The streets were lined with shops, selling everything from cars to clothes to records of all things. Green, manicured grass and pastel-colored buildings were everywhere. The clock tower that Jennifer had never once seen move chimed on the hour. There was so much to take in at once that she became lost in her surroundings.

"So now that we're here, where do you wanna go?" she asked.

"I was thinking we could head to the town square and find a phone book somewhere. You know, to give Doc a call. If anyone around here knows anything that could help us, it's him."

"You think he'd still...be around? I mean, we just saw him get shot at!" she said tentatively, causing Marty to stare at his feet and furrow his brow.

"It's 1955, remember? We've got a time machine, for Christ's sake! We can fix this. All I gotta do is tell him what happens in the future! I mean, it's not like he's dead or anything. He can't be dead," Marty replied, a faraway look evident in his eyes. "If I remember right, Lou's is a restaurant now. I can run in and get his number."

Jennifer nodded, relieved, and they continued to walk down the streets. With a plan in mind, she allowed herself to relax. She was really in the fifties, and was able to see what life was like back before she was even born. It was mind blowing, considering she wasn't supposed to exist yet at all. Her home seemed so far away now, and not a single person milling around in the town square would've held a glimpse of recognition towards her at the moment. She was a stranger in her own town.

She hated seeing Marty in a state that was somewhere between glum and confused. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, and his eyes were widened and flitting around, not unlike a frightened deer. "This isn't that bad," she said to him. "I mean, look around at the stores, and the cars, and the dresses. Oh, it's just like the movies!"

He gave a half-hearted smile, but he soon gave the expression of utter confusion soon afterwards. Jennifer frowned, as all of her efforts to cheer him up seemed to be in vain. Doc Brown meant a lot to him, apparently. Of course he would still be upset.

"We're here," said Marty, interrupting her thoughts. The cafe stood in front of them, and they strolled in. "You mind waitin' here while I get the number?"

"Oh, no," she replied, taking a seat at the counter while he asked a worker where the phone was and then disappeared into the back room. Around her, other teens her age (or who appeared to be around her age, at least) were sitting in packs and speaking animatedly to each other. They took up the majority of the place-the cafe was the teen hangout of the time, she supposed.

From behind the counter, a much older man shuffled over to where she sat. She vaguely recognized him from when the cafe was still open as Lou Caruthers, the owner of the place. "Listen, miss, are you gonna order something?" he asked in a gruff voice as he eyed her suspiciously.

"I guess...do you sell coffee here?"

"Read the sign," he replied, gesturing to the aforementioned sign that read "Coffee-10 cents." Compared to 1985 prices, that was insanely cheap.

"Just a coffee, then," she said, pulling a spare dime out of her jeans pocket and handing it to him.

He took a look at the coin, and then did a double take. "You tryin' to pull something over on me, ma'am?"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"The money! The date on the dime says 1978. What, is this some kind of prank?"

"No! It's just a joke! It's joke money. Thought you might need a laugh. Ha, funny, right?" she said, faking a laugh and showing off her megawatt smile in hopes of not drawing too much attention to herself.

Needless to say, he was not amused and stared at her with a deadpan expression. He tossed the dime back onto the countertop and walked away, muttering something under his breath about "those damn delinquent kids."

Although she didn't agree, she had to begrudgingly admit that she understood why he would've thought that. What was she thinking, not bothering to check the date on the money? Besides, the way she was dressed didn't help matters much. Her denim jacket and jeans were of the latest trends-for 1985, that was. Jennifer had been trying to ignore the stares she'd been on the receiving end of all day, but it was still an unusual experience to be looked at like she had three heads or something.

Just as she was trying to shake off the embarrassment of her encounter with Mr. Caruthers, Marty emerged from the back room, folded paper in hand. "I got the address. Now all we've gotta do is actually find the place. "

He walked over to the same worker. Jennifer followed, trying to keep her head down. "Sir!" Marty said. "Do you know where 1640 Riverside Drive is?"

Caruthers took one look at Jennifer, shook his head, and walked away without another word. "What was that all about?" Marty asked.

"Nothing. Let's just go," replied Jennifer, anxious to leave the cafe.

They left in a hurry and re-entered the bustling town streets, starting the walk to the mansion.

...

"This is definitely the one," Marty said as they stood at the front step of the Brown mansion. The building loomed over them; Jennifer hadn't expected it to be so huge. It was several floors high, and seemed creaky and ancient even by 50's standards.

"Wait, didn't he live in that garage?" she asked.

"Well, he does now; or at least he did, no, I mean he will in 1985. This whole place got torched in '62 from some experiment," Marty replied wistfully. "He told me the story once, and I think he still has the articles about it from the newspaper hanging up."

For as long as Jennifer knew, Doc Brown had lived in the tiny garage since forever. Of course, the idea that he used to live in a haunted mansion was tossed around in middle school. She had believed in it wholeheartedly at first, but eventually dismissed it as yet another fake rumor.

Marty wasted no time and knocked on the mansion door. After a few moments of silence, the door flew open to reveal Doc Brown. He didn't look much different than the older version Jennifer had met a few times. Besides the blond hair and suit, he was almost unchanged. "Can I help you kids with something?" he asked, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Can we come in? This might sound weird," Marty replied. Dr. Brown opened the door wider and allowed them to pass. The look on his face was just as confused as Marty's had been.

The room of the mansion Jennifer found herself in was also not much of a huge change from the future. It seemed like a bigger, cleaner version of the garage. Tools, blueprints, and multicolored metal contraptions of varying size and complexity were littered around the floor and tables. Some of the machines had red and green flashing lights, and with others, it was impossible to tell what they actually were.

"Look," Marty said. "This is gonna sound crazy, but we came here in a time machine that you invented. We're from the year 1985."

Dr. Brown stared off into the distance, incredulous. He touched his temple, where an injury was cut and bandaged. "I never invented any time machine," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else. Then, he turned to stare at her. "Is what he's saying true?"

"Yes. I'm from then, too! I saw the time machine by accident on the day of the first experiment, and I had already seen it, so you let me come along."

Dr. Brown chuckled softly. "And who is President in 1985?"

"Ronald Reagan!" exclaimed Marty without a second thought.

Dr. Brown was unable to contain his laughter, and began rambling about having an actor be president and asking if Jane Wyman was First Lady, all while waving his hands animatedly. Marty worriedly glanced at her. If Dr. Brown didn't believe them, then they were screwed. Nobody else knew anything about the time machine.

Marty had pulled out his driver's license, which wouldn't have expired until 1987. Jennifer, taking the cue, pulled out her own from her pocket as well. Their efforts did not succeed. Dr. Brown looked at them and responded with, "Alright, kids, prank's over. You can go home now."

An idea dawned on Marty. Jennifer could see the figurative lightbulb turning on over his head. "The bruise!" he exclaimed. "The bruise on your head! I know how you got it, you've told me all about it. You were hanging a clock over the toilet when you slipped and fell. Then, you had a vision of the flux capacitor, which is what makes time travel possible!"

Dr. Brown gaped at Marty, eyes practically bugging out of his head. "That's impossible," he said. "I haven't even written that down yet. The mere idea of a flux capacitor exists nowhere except in the annals of my own mind!"

Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief. "So do you believe us now?" she asked.

"I suppose I have to. Why don't you two sit down somewhere while I write down some designs?" he asked. He stared off into space instead of looking at either of them, and it was clear that his mind was otherwise occupied.

As they waded through the inventions that littered the floor to find a couch or something, they once again realized how strange of a situation they were in. There they were, standing in a mansion that would burn down before they were born as Dr. Brown sketched the first plans for a time machine, a version of which sat in its completed form behind a billboard.

Marty could only comment on one thing.

"I guess we'll have to postpone that trip to the lake even further, huh?"